New standard for carbon emissions

ASHRAE and the International Code Council (ICC) have released the draft of a proposed joint standard for the evaluation and documentation of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions across a building’s life cycle.

ASHRAE/ICC Standard 240P – Quantification of Life Cycle Greenhouse Gas Emissions of Buildings provides a methodology to quantify the embodied and operational GHG emissions associated with buildings and their sites. The standard will also provide minimum requirements for documenting life cycle GHG emissions.

2023–24 ASHRAE President Ginger Scoggins says Standard 240P will play a pivotal role in addressing embodied carbon and significantly impacting the built environment’s GHGs, particularly within mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems.

The standard is intended to support building industry stakeholders, governments, and the finance and investment industry in implementing a common platform for measuring, reporting, and acting upon the GHG emissions of buildings.

“We are pleased to collaborate with the International Code Council on this standard, recognising the joint effort’s potential to advance effective solutions and contribute to a more sustainable future,” Scoggins says.

ASHRAE/ICC Standard 240P – Quantification of Life Cycle Greenhouse Gas Emissions of Buildings is open for comment here from February 2 until March 18, 2024.